THE Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) will, from next year, install a database system to facilitate the registration of all persons entering the country.
This will enable the GIS to effectively monitor and regulate their activities during their stay in the country. Mrs Elizabeth Adjei, Director of the Service, who disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the new arrangement will help stem the rampant activities of fraudsters who have found safe haven in the country. She said a study has been conducted for the establishment of such a mechanism, which is expected to take off next year.
Mrs Adjei said the system will help secure the country's boundaries and assist security agencies to easily thwart activities of people who come into the country with bad motives.
''Since Ghana is one of the few countries in the sub-region with a stable and strong economy, it has become attractive to many businesses, both genuine and unscrupulous. "There is, therefore, the need to have a mechanism to be able to match arrivals with departures and also detect documentary fraud and impersonation."
She said even though Ghana, like other ECOWAS countries, had signed a treaty on immigration and integration, this should not be at the expense of national sovereignty, which, for now, must be maintained.
Mrs Adjei said the security of anyone entering the country is the primary responsibility of the state, and that it is therefore, prudent that appropriate measures are taken to ensure that all visitors are protected.
Asked whether this new development was not aimed at curbing advanced fraud committed mainly by Nigerians, Mrs Adjei said: "Not all Nigerians are criminals but it is also up to Ghanaians to take security seriously."
